Cybercriminals invent increasingly complex methods to steal your data, including creating
entire websites for the sole purpose of tricking you into giving away financial information
or incriminating data.
But don’t worry, because we’ve created a list of 10 ways to check if the website
you’re visiting is legitimate.
If you want more useful cybersecurity tips, make sure to subscribe to the official NordVPN
YouTube channel.
Now, without further delay, let’s get into it.
1.
Check the domain name It might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised
how many people fall for this trick.
A criminal with a bit of tech savvy can create a website with a domain name that’s just
slightly different to whichever name they’re trying to copy.
The phony website might even look just like the original.
Take the time to research the true domain name of the website you want to access.
If you end up on the wrong site, you could potentially enter enough data for a hacker
to cause havoc to your personal network.
2.
Check if the site is HTTPS This often goes hand-in-hand with verifying
the domain name.
If a website’s domain name starts with ‘HTTPS’, that means it’s secured with an SSL certificate.
It’s a clear sign that the website is legitimate.
If, however, you come across a site that starts with ‘HTTP’, you should think twice about
entering it.
HTTP has no encryption, so anyone monitoring the connection will be able to see what you’re
up to.
3.
Pay attention to the visuals of a site You’ve clicked on a site, but something
just feels…off.
The design seems a bit choppy and unprofessional, some of the buttons don’t work and the branding
doesn’t seem quite right.
Be wary — you’ve just stumbled into a phony website.
No matter how small the issue might be, even if it’s just a misspelled word, think very
hard before entering any payment details or personal data.
4.
Check the security seal While you might not know its name, you’ve
probably seen a security sea if you’ve made any purchases online.
You’ll usually find them on payment pages or displayed proudly somewhere on the website’s
home page.
It’s an indicator that the site can be trusted with your payment details.
All you have to do to check if a security seal is real, is click on it.
Any legitimate seal will take you straight to the company’s page.
If, however, you click it and nothing happens, then it’s a fake seal, and the website could
be up to something shady.
5.
Have a look at the site’s privacy policy Privacy policies tell users how organisations
use their data.
When you come across a new website that you’re unsure about, hunt down their privacy policy.
Once you understand exactly how the website will be handling your data, you can make an
informed decision whether to enter your credentials or not.
Be wary that some shadier organizations will try and sneak in a few words to a privacy
policy that lets them sell user data to third party advertisers.
6.
Check the ownership of the website Confirming the website’s real owner certainly
helps verify its legitimacy.
Luckily, that’s quite simple.
There are a few websites out there that provide this service.
Just enter the website URL and you will see the person or organisation that owns the site.
Be aware, however, that many websites will be hosted by web infrastructure services,
so a true single owner may be hard to find depending on how large the organisation is.
If, however, you find a website that doesn't have an owner, or you can’t determine who
they are, then it’s best to avoid entering your data.
7.
Invest in cybersecurity tools Scheduling regular antivirus scans is a great
way to keep up with your cyber hygiene.
After all, if you’ve accidentally stumbled into a fake website, you may have unwittingly
downloaded some malware onto your device.
Another great online security tool is a VPN.
A more advanced service, like NordVPN, even has a blacklist of websites.
It will automatically block you from entering well-known malware-ridden sites.
However, remember that a VPN won’t stop you from entering your own details into a
fake site.
It’s up to you to spot the signs.
8.
Look for contact information A 2021 report on web design statistics found
that just under half the people who visit a website will leave if they can’t find
any contact information.
While this might not mean that the website is phony, the fact that you can’t contact
anyone if something goes wrong is pretty shady.
9.
See if there are any reviews for the site This is a great way to tell if the site’s
trustworthy.
There are plenty of services out there that can provide insight into the legitimacy of
a website, including review platforms and social media.
Once you’ve got the information you need, you can make an informed decision.
10.
Be patient, be cautious, and learn to recognize scams
Instant gratification is hard to resist, but haste makes waste — don’t be impatient.
Before paying with your card, pay attention.
Other than looking for obvious design errors, you can also identify phony websites from
the type of adverts they host.
If you are immediately bombarded with flashing alerts and messages, that’s typically a
sign of a malware-infected site.
Once you’ve clued yourself in on the signs of a fake website, you’ll be one step ahead
of the scammers!
There you have it, 10 ways to verify whether the website you’re visiting is fake or real.
If this video has piqued your interest, why not subscribe to the official NordVPN YouTube
channel, where you’ll find many more cybersecurity tips!
Did you know there are several ways you can make your online shopping experience safer?
Check out this vid below!